A Midsummer Night's Dream
by Gazing on the Arabesque
Summary: If we shadows have offended, think but this, and all is mended, that you have but slumbered here, while these visions did appear. What can I say? The path of true love never did run smooth. Shadamy fluff. No longer a oneshot.
1. Chapter 1

**What do you do when you run out of ideas for your ongoing stories? You write oneshots. I felt the need for some angst. Anyway, enjoy!**

XX

Amy's POV

_Flashback:_

_"Sonic, I know it usually is the other way around, but... will you go out with me?"_

_"Oh… Amy… I'm sorry… I thought you already knew…"_

_"Knew what?"_

_"I'm going out with Elise… I'm sorry…"_

_End flashback_

I, Amy Rose, am a sucker at romance. Maybe it was just my odd habit of stalking my crush when I was twelve that made guys stay away from me. Or maybe it's just that they thought I was already his. Believe me, I did too… until his _girlfriend_ lied!

_Flashback:_

_"I think Sonic likes you, Elise."_

_"Really?"_

_"Yeah." Elise's face fell._

_"That's too bad for him… I've always thought of him as a friend… nothing more…"_

_End flashback_

The LIAR! I know it's not _her_ fault I'm still single when practically _everyone else_ has a boyfriend already… which included Rouge, Blaze, and even Cream.

_Flashback:_

_Rouge walked up to me. "Amy, I need your help getting the Master Emerald," she said flatly._

_"Why the hell would you… oh…" Rouge and I had a secret code when it came to crushes… _her _crushes. Shadow was once, 'Chaos Control'. Now Knuckles was 'Master Emerald'. "Strike up a conversation with him," I suggested. "Do _something_ that will make him notice you." A wide smile spread across Rouge's face. _

_"Thanks Amy… and… sorry about Sonic…"_

_"It's ok…"_

_At Rouge's house…_

_The doorbell rang. Rouge opened the door and, you guessed it, there was Knuckles. "There's something I have to say," he said gruffly as his face turned redder than his dreadlocks. "I like you." Rouge _

_seriously looked like she was about to faint… and she did… right into Knuckles' arms. When she finally came around, what else? She admitted her feelings for him and the two went out. Lucky them._

_End flashback_

That's just Rouge. There was also Blaze, who didn't have as much trouble with admitting her feelings to her crush. Of course, they were already best friends. What else was there to hide?

_Flashback:_

_Silver marched right up to Blaze. "Blaze, I love you." My heart stung. Two days of nonstop horror movies had not gotten rid of my paranoia for romance._

_"Aw Silver…" Blaze mumbled as she blushed. "How sweet… yet so naïve at the same time… I like you too…" You'll never guess what happened next. They went out, and the two became a couple._

_End flashback_

The thing that disturbed me most of all was _Cream_. How a girl her age managed to have an admirer already. In fact, she had _two_ admirers.

_Flashback:_

_"Cream, will you go out with me?" Tails and Charmy simultaneously asked. I slapped myself on the forehead. The two suddenly glared at each other._

_"Cream's _mine_," Charmy sneered to Tails. "You gave me advice on asking her out."_

_"Don't you remember that _I_ gave _you_ advice?" Tails sneered right back. "Cream's mine!" Amidst all the chaos, Cream had fainted._

_End flashback_

In the end, Cream picked Tails over Charmy, breaking his tiny little heart in the process… I wonder if he was stuck at home watching horror movies, dreading any more romance like me. The movie I was watching (a _horror_ movie, of course) ended as credits slowly crawled up the screen. I threw on my coat as I walked to the mall. I stopped off at my favorite store… only to see a guy kissing a girl inside. I walked off to another store… but another boy had his hand in a girl's back pocket. I tossed aside the idea of shopping and ran over to the food court, desperate to get away from all the romance. I ordered a plate of French fries and sat down at an empty table. I stared off into the distance… where I found Sonic and Elise sitting together, sipping a shared drink from two separate straws. I grit my teeth together and my hand balled up into a tight fist as I tried not to cry. Elise looked at me and threw me a smirk. I glared at her in return. "Amy?" I had definitely heard that voice somewhere before. I looked up at its owner: a black and red hedgehog with crimson eyes. I stared down at my uneaten fries.

"Hi Shadow…"

"You ok?" I nodded slowly.

"Why don't you sit down?" Shadow took a seat across from me and helped himself to a fry. I couldn't blame him; I wasn't that hungry anyway.

"Thanks… I heard what happened between you and Sonic."

"Hasn't everyone?" I asked sarcastically. Shadow looked slightly taken aback. I sighed. "Sorry… I just don't like talking about it that much."

"Sorry for bringing it up."

"It's ok…" The two of us sat in silence, quietly munching some fries.

"Um… Amy?" I looked up at Shadow. His face was as red as his quills. "Suppose… someone came up to you… and told you they loved you… would you go out with them… just to get Sonic out of your head?"

"I'd even go lesbian, if it means getting Sonic out of my head." Shadow's eyes widened in slight disbelief.

"Um… well… what would you say if… that person was… me?" My eyes widened in shock. Shadow's face was now a deeper shade of red. I tried to remember how to breathe.

"Shadow…"

"Ok… glad that's out of my system." To my surprise, Shadow seemed… well… _relieved_. _Relieved_ that I listened to him. _Relieved_ that I didn't burst into tears. _Relieved_ that I didn't slap him. "So… Amy… will you go out with me?" I turned to look at Sonic. A wide smile was spread across his face. He was happy… and that was good enough for me…

"Yes…" I told Shadow. "Of course."

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**I absolutely HATE SonElise, but I just HAD to use it for this oneshot! So, basically all the pairings mentioned in this fic were Shadamy, SonElise, Knuxouge, TailsxCream, and SilverxBlaze. PLEASE REVIEW!**


	2. Chapter 2

**This used to be a oneshot, but I decided to expand this. WARNING: EXTREME FLUFF! Anyway, PLEASE REVIEW!**

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Amy's POV

These past few days have been the best of my life. Shadow took me out to a movie one day, and he took me out for lunch the next. On the third day, we just hung out at his dismal apartment. I couldn't be happier. At first, I only told Rouge. I should have known she wouldn't keep it quiet. It wasn't long before it spread out to everyone I knew.

_Flashback:_

_"Amy!" Blaze squealed after a quick embrace. _

_"I know!" I squealed back._

_"You and Shadow!"_

_"I know!"_

_"Congrats!"_

_"THANK YOU!"_

_End Flashback_

Even the little ones seemed to hear about it.

_Flashback:_

_"Amy!" Cream squeaked one day. "I heard about you and Mr. Shadow!"_

_"I know!" I agreed. "It's really exciting! I never thought I'd actually like him more than Sonic!"_

_"Congrats!"_

_"Thanks."_

_End Flashback_

But not everyone was happy. Poor Charmy just couldn't seem to get over it.

_Flashback:_

_"Amy… you're so lucky," Charmy told me one day._

_"Why?" _

_"Because… you liked Sonic before, but he didn't like you, and then you found out another guy likes you. I hope you're happy."_

_"I am. I'm the happiest girl alive!"_

_"_Why_ can't something like that happen to me?!" he yelled. "Why did Cream have to pick that stupid fox over me?! She barely even knows him!" I pat him gently on the back._

_"I know how you feel, Charmy…"_

_End Flashback_

Well, I guess Charmy was just jealous that I managed to get a boyfriend after my previous crush rejected me a lot faster than him. I couldn't really blame him, though. The one person I _can_ blame, though, is Elise. I really don't know what she has against me. Ever since Sonic asked her out, she seems to thrive for my misery. I can't stand it. But, I didn't really worry about it for too long after Shadow asked me out. Today, I was in Soleanna, trying to live through a boring day. Shadow had a mission for G.U.N., and couldn't meet me until at least five. He said he'd meet me in Soleanna, since that was the city he had to work in. _Why_ Soleanna… not that I really cared at the time, though. I sat on a bench and sighed. Today was going to be a long day. "Hey Amy…" said a voice that sent chills down my spine. Why, _why_ did she have to be here? I forced a smile.

"Hello Elise."

"I heard about you and Shadow. Aren't you lucky…" I didn't expect her to congratulate me. There was no way Elise would do something like that. "Are you sure you really like him though?" I grit my teeth together.

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Oh really? You've gotten over Sonic?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure? I mean… Shadow can only give you temporary happiness… What happens tomorrow when Sonic's back in your head?"

"Sonic will never get back in my head."

"So you don't care about him?" I suddenly realized my mistake.

"No! I _do_ care about him! Just not like I used to. He's just a friend now."

"Really? Cause you just lied to yourself _and_ Shadow by saying that." A knot formed in my throat; I couldn't speak. What if she was right? Was I really lying to Shadow? Was I really over Sonic? Could I really have gotten over him so quickly?

"Y-you're lying…" Elise cocked an eyebrow.

"I'm not lying… you're just in denial…" I couldn't take it anymore. I got up and ran as far away from her as I could. Tears began to form in my eyes. I closed my eyes, and they began to fall. I kept on running, not stopping until I ran into someone… the last person I wanted to see right now.

"Amy?" Sonic the hedgehog asked, pulling me off of him. "You ok?" I wiped my tears and forced a smile.

"Y-yeah… I'm fine…" Unfortunately for me, he didn't seem convinced.

"Yeah… what happened?"

"Nothing!"

"Something must have happened!"

"Yeah, nothing happened!"

"Just tell me!"

"Fine!" I took a deep breath and began my story. "Elise—"

"What does Elise have to do with this?"

"Everything. Anyway, she told me… that I was lying to Shadow and I really didn't like…" I hoped Sonic understood what I meant. I _really_ didn't want this getting all awkward.

"What do you mean?"

"She said… that I was lying to Shadow and myself by thinking… that… I was fully over you…" I have no idea how I managed to say that to Sonic. I felt myself blushing as soon as I was done. Sonic nodded slowly, indicating that he wanted more of the explanation. "But I… I can't be…" The tears returned. "I can't be lying to Shadow… am I? I mean… these past few days have been the best of my life… I… I don't see how I'm lying…"

"You aren't." If any guy could calmly give romantic advice to a girl who was once madly in love with him, he's amazing. No wonder I once liked him. "If you truly love Shadow, you'll know it for sure… and you do… which is good."

"So I'm _not_ hurting Shadow?" He shook his head. I involuntarily threw my arms around him. I was so relieved to find out that I wasn't hurting Shadow in any way.

"Thanks Sonic!" Sonic pat me awkwardly on the back. The pats suddenly began to slow down.

"Amy… I think you should turn around…"

"What?" I released Sonic and turned around. Shadow stood there, staring at the floor, his eyes full of remorse.

"I'm such an idiot…" he whispered to himself. "I should have known you weren't over Faker yet... I probably should have given it more time…" And with that, he chaos controlled away.

"Shadow, wait!" But he was gone. I turned back to Sonic, who merely shook his head.

"Sorry Amy," he told me. "I'll help you with Elise, but you created this problem on your own. You're fixing it the same way." Sonic took off running as I began to feel an empty pit in my stomach."

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**Before you ask, YES, Amy just HAPPENED to run into Sonic. Anyway, this will continue. PLEASE REVIEW!**


	3. Chapter 3

**The drama has begun!! Enjoy!**

"Hi Shadow, it's Amy… uh, call back when you get a chance… bye…" I flipped my phone shut and sighed. I must have called Shadow five times already. He didn't even pick up once. Tears formed in my eyes. "He's not going to pick up, Rouge…"

"Aw, cheer up!" Rouge exclaimed. "He can't ignore your calls forever! He'll pick up some day!"

"Yeah, but _when_?" Then it hit me. "He won't pick up from me… but he'll pick up from _you_… Rouge, can I borrow your phone?"

"You're not going to call him using _my_ phone, are you?" She handed me her black phone.

"Yes I am." I searched through her contacts, found Shadow's name, and called him. It rang twice before he picked up.

"What do you want, Rouge?" I heard him ask exasperatedly on the other line. I was so happy to hear his voice.

"Shadow! This is Amy! I'm borrowing Rouge's phone, and—" There was a click on the other line, followed by the dial tone. I flipped the phone shut and handed it back to Rouge in defeat. "He hung up as soon as I told him who I was…" Rouge gave me a small hug.

"Why don't you just meet him in person?" she suggested.

"That's it! Do you know where he is today?"

"He said he was going to the ARK, but—"

"Then I'll go there!" I stood up and headed for the door.

"Excuse me, exactly _how_ are you getting to the ARK?"

"Remember Dr. Eggman's rockets?"

"Yes, _I know_, but—"

"I'll just sneak into the doctor's base and steal a rocket!" I twisted the doorknob, ready to thrust open the door any minute.

"I don't think that's such a good idea… What if you get caught?"

"I _won't_, Rouge! I'll be fine!" I ran out of Rouge's apartment, in search of Dr. Eggman's base…

_Later…_

The doctor's base was easy to find… Since when did he start putting neon signs reading "EGGMAN'S BASE" at the front? Anyway, getting in was easy. I just turned invisible (side note: Amy can do this in Sonic the Hedgehog 2006.) and sneaked past the robots. The base was pretty easy to navigate. There were these large maps hung up on the walls EVERYWHERE, so I always knew right where I was… I also knew exactly how to get to the rockets… Apparently, there was a blue path I had to follow until there was a junction with a green path. Then I had to take the green path until there was another junction to a red path. Finally, I had to follow the red path to the rocket room. The paths were pretty straightforward. Every few minutes, I had to duck into a corner to become invisible again. I didn't destroy any robots; I didn't want to draw any attention toward myself. Finally, I found the rocket room. A large white rocket stood in the center and its coordinates were… exactly on the ARK! I pressed a large green button on the control panel, then started running for the rocket before it blasted off._ Ten… nine… eight…_ Dr. Eggman walked into the room._**I was screwed if he saw me.**__Six… five… four…_ Perfect timing. I tripped and fell just as my invisibility wore off. I cursed under my breath as Eggman rushed over.

"Well, well, well…" he said evilly. "Amy Rose! And what might you be doing at my base?" _Three… two… one… ZERO!_ The rocket took off. I missed my ride to the ARK.

"I… er… I…"

"Ah, that doesn't matter. I guess I could use you as bait once more. IT'S TIME TO TEST OUT MY GREATEST INVENTION YET! EGG TRANSFORMER, RISE!" A small dog-like robot ran out of a corner. Eggman sure had some strange ideas.

"_That's_ your greatest invention?"

"It's perfect! It can transform into anything! It's perfect for manipulating annoying hedgehogs into doing whatever I want!"

"Some annoying hedgehogs aren't that stupid, you know." My mind was completely on Shadow, but Eggman seemed to think I was referring to Sonic.

"EGG TRANSFORMER, TRANSFORM!" There was a flash of light, and the dog multiplied in size. My eyes widened in fear at it. "Make sure she doesn't leave." I stared at the floor in defeat. Rouge was right. I _did_ get caught… How was I going to escape?

XX

**I decided to add a little action to this fic. As for the Egg Transformer, that was just a random idea that popped up in my mind. Anyway, PLEASE REVIEW!!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I know I left you in a cliffy last time, so NO CLIFFY THIS TIME! YAY! Enjoy the no-cliffy chappie!**

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"Mph!" I gave a muffled scream. Not only had Eggman tied me up and gagged me, but he also stuck a _bomb _me that would blow up in exactly ten minutes. He chuckled evilly in his little corner and the Egg Transformer eyed me like a guard dog. I was in for it now. It wasn't like Eggman was going to tell Sonic that he kidnapped me or anything, because he _didn't_. Getting trapped by Eggman was _entirely_ my fault. And it wasn't like Sonic knew about it or anything. I was going to die in ten minutes, and Sonic had no idea. Rouge was right. I shouldn't have been so eager to steal a rocket to the ARK. Suddenly, gothic metal music filled the room… and it came from my cell phone, which Eggman had so gleefully confiscated. Ever since Sonic… you know… I changed my ringtone from pop music to gothic metal. No wonder I appealed to Shadow. Eggman picked up the phone. "_Mph!_" This roughly translated to; _Get your filthy hands off my phone!_

"Hello?" he said tauntingly into the phone. "Amy? Why, I merely have her imprisoned for trespassing on private property." Silence. "No, I did _not_ kidnap her, _she_ came _here_." More silence. "How am I supposed to know?" More silence. Eggman looked at his watch. "Well, if you want to see her again, I suggest you hurry. She only has about nine minutes left. It began to feel hot, and I began to sweat as I nervously looked down at the bomb. 8:59… "Goodbye." Eggman shut the phone and slammed it down on a table. If it broke, he owed me a new phone. "Gah, that blasted hedgehog!"

"Mph?" _Sonic?_ Eggman didn't answer. It had to be Sonic… and, if not him, Silver… but more likely Sonic than Silver. Whoever it was, I just wished they'd hurry. The bomb neared six minutes. I felt like crying. I would never get to apologize to Shadow, or Rouge for not listening to her… I wouldn't even get to talk things out with Elise… maybe rekindle our friendship… Suddenly, there was a green flash of light in the middle of the room. As soon as it disappeared, a familiar black and red hedgehog stood in its place. "Mph!" I cried. _Shadow!_

"Doctor," he said in his signature low voice. It gradually grew louder as he continued to speak. "It's time to end this! Where's Amy?!"

"Mph! Mph!" _Over here! Over here!_ Shadow noticed me, and a determined look crossed his face. He dashed over, but the Egg Transformer, which had recently transformed into a large, tall robot, stood in his way. _Five minutes…_

"What the…" Shadow took his fighting stance as the Egg Transformer gave a bellow. He threw a Chaos Spear at the giant robot's head, sending it into a state of shock.

"NOOOOO!" Eggman yelled as Shadow picked me up and dashed for the exit. _Two minutes…_ Before I knew it, we were out of Eggman's base. Shadow hadn't untied me, but I was perfectly fine with that. I just wanted the bomb off. There was a shrill beeping noise. I had less than a minute left. Shadow looked down in shock. He cursed under his breath and sped up.

"Hang on Amy! I'll get it off as soon as we're out of here!" I wasn't aware of it at the time, but tears began to stream down my face as a wide range of emotions crossed my mind. I was angry at Eggman for tying a bomb to me, grateful that Shadow, of all people, saved me, and guilty that I hurt Shadow. What if we didn't make it, and the bomb exploded? What if the explosion killed Shadow too? If he got hurt… it would have been entirely my fault, and no amount of consolation could convince me otherwise. There seemed to be a loud boom. I looked behind in shock, only to see the Egg Transformer hot on our trail. The shrill beeping came back, only it chimed in perfect rhythm. _Ten… nine… eight… _Shadow looked down at the bomb and cursed. The Egg Transformer shot a ray of fire at us. Shadow jumped out of the way and stumbled before picking himself up and running. The Egg Transformer was gaining on us. _Three… two… one…_ Tears rapidly flowed down my cheeks. What happened then, I can only describe by what Shadow told me; it happened so fast, I couldn't keep track of it. Shadow pried the bomb from me and threw it behind him right before it exploded. The Egg Transformer, which got caught in the explosion, went up in flames. "Chaos CONTROL!" I was instantly transported into a black void. We were zooming ahead faster than I had ever gone before! Finally, it stopped; we were back in Soleanna. Shadow sat me down, pulled out a pocket knife, and slashed the ropes and cloth that was gagging me. I shook as I continued to cry. "What's wrong?" Shadow asked me, sounding slightly confused. He wiped my tears with the back of his finger. "We survived, didn't we?" The way he said, _we_, made me feel slightly better, but I still couldn't speak. It took me a few minutes to go over all that had happened. I wanted to make up with Shadow, so I tried to follow him to the ARK by stealing one of Dr. Eggman's rockets. My stupidity and naivety got me in trouble, and it almost killed me, but Shadow, of all people saved me. I didn't deserve any of this; I deserved to die back there, in Eggman's lair. "Amy?" I threw my arms around him and sobbed.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" Shadow put his arms around me and let me cry. He gently stroked my quills and pressed his face on the top of my head.

"It's alright, Amy…" he whispered into my ear. "It's all over…" I can't quite describe the feeling that overcame me next. I somehow knew that everything was fine now. All damage that I had done before was now repaired. Shadow forgave me. I continued to cry, only this time, it was tears of happiness, and Shadow continued to hold me. I don't know how long we were like that… I just knew I never wanted it to end.

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**Aw… that chappie made me get all warm and fuzzy inside… See? No cliffy! PLEASE REVIEW!!**


	5. Chapter 5

**This chapter takes place right where the last one ended. Enjoy!**

XX

"Oh, so you're ok!" I heard a familiar voice exclaim. Shadow and I looked up, only to see a somewhat annoying blue hedgehog standing in front of us. We quickly broke free from our embrace, and I blushed. "So…" Sonic tapped his foot. "I see you two made up."

"Um…" That was all I could say.

"We did!" Shadow answered for me. "Just… less than a minute ago!" That was an odd way to put it, but whatever.

"Ok… so what happened?"

"Nothing!" I replied. Sonic didn't seem convinced.

"Well _something_ must have happened! I mean, when Shadow told me you were trapped in Eggman's lair, I—"

"You TOLD him I was trapped in EGGMAN'S LAIR?!" I screamed at Shadow.

"Kind of…" he replied shakily. "He called me after I hung up with the doctor and—" I suddenly realized I was missing something.

"My _phone_! I left it at Eggman's base!" Shadow pulled out a small silver phone.

"No you didn't. I managed to get it without the doctor noticing." I sighed in relief.

"Thanks Shadow!"

"The story?" Sonic asked impatiently as I suddenly remembered his existence.

"Amy…" Shadow said slowly. "Why _did_ you go to Eggman's base in the first place?" I knew I was in trouble now. There was nothing left to do other than to tell the story.

"I… well… I tried calling you on your cell phone…"

"I noticed. Continue."

"But you never picked up… I thought you were mad at me…"

"Not necessarily mad… just… didn't want to talk to you at the moment… Were you trying to commit suicide by turning yourself in to Eggman? You didn't have to. I was going to call back later." I sighed and shook my head.

"I was _not_ trying to commit suicide. And you _were_ mad at me. I called you from Rouge's phone, and you hung up as soon as you heard who it was!" Shadow stared at the floor in guilt.

"Sorry…"

"Anyway, Rouge said you went to the ARK, and I really wanted to talk to you, so I tried following you there."

"How?"

"By stealing one of Eggman's rockets!! But I tripped and got caught, so the rocket blasted off without me."

"Amy, Shadow, I exist, you know?!" Sonic yelled impatiently. It seemed like even Shadow forgot his existence for a minute. "Why did you have to go to Eggman's, though? You could have just come to me. I could have Chaos Controlled you up there."

"Do you have any idea how horrible it would look to show up there with _you_ of all people?"

"Don't pin this on me! You were the one that hugged me!"

"Ok, so it's not your fault." I pointed an accusing finger at Shadow. "It's _Shadow's_ for having to see it!"

"What do I have to do with this?!" a confused Shadow yelled. Sonic sighed.

"This isn't getting us anywhere. Who do you pick?" A weird feeling overcame me.

"This is a trap, isn't it?" I asked to both identical hedgehogs.

"Don't worry Amy," Shadow assured me. "I won't be worried if you pick Faker over me."

"The thing is I _can't_ pick him."

"Why not?"

"What's wrong with me?" Sonic asked curiously.

"Nothing's wrong with you," I replied. "You're already going out with Elise… and I can see you're happy with her… I can see she's happy with you too."

"I thought you hated her." Elise's words suddenly came back to me.

_Flashback:_

"_Hello Elise." _

"_I heard about you and Shadow. Aren't you lucky… Are you sure you really like him though?"_

"_Yes, I'm sure."_

_"Oh really? You've gotten over Sonic?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Are you sure? I mean… Shadow can only give you temporary happiness… What happens tomorrow when Sonic's back in your head?"_

_"Sonic will never get back in my head."_

"_So you don't care about him?"_

"_No! I do care about him! Just not like I used to. He's just a friend now."_

"_Really? Cause you just lied to yourself and Shadow by saying that."_

"_Y-you're lying…" Elise cocked an eyebrow._

"_I'm not lying… you're just in denial…"_

_End Flashback_

"Elise… she was _right_. And I was _wrong_." Shadow and Sonic both stared at me with utter shock and confusion.

"Wrong about what?" Shadow asked.

"She told me that I might be hurting your feelings by going out with you because… because I might not be over Sonic yet… I thought she was lying, and I yelled at her, but she just said I was in denial."

"Where does Faker come into this?"

"I just happened to run into him. Complete coincidence. He insisted that I tell him everything. He told me that I wasn't hurting you in anyway, and I was so relieved, I hugged him."

"Yeah, I only saw that part."

"I know. But… all of this… it wasn't Elise's fault… It was mine… I misinterpreted her words… but she still succeeded…" Shadow seemed to understand, but Sonic was still confused. "She was trying to get me to realize that I could have been hurting you… All this time, I thought she was just trying to make my life miserable… but it's just the opposite… She was trying to save everyone… and me… from my selfishness…" I hung my head as the sorry truth spilled out. "I'm sorry." I stared at the floor in guilt. Shadow walked up to me and lifted my chin, forcing me to look into his eyes. He then kissed my forehead gently.

"It's all right Amy… it's over… there's nothing you can do about it now…"

"I guess I should still apologize to Elise though… I was pretty rude…" I turned on my heel to walk back.

"So who do you pick?" Sonic asked playfully. I cast a cold glare at him.

"Shadow," I replied adamantly. "That's my final answer." I don't know if I was imagining it, but I saw Shadow grow a shade of bright red. "I've got to go. I'll see you guys later." I walked slowly, going over what I was going to say to Elise in my head.

"Amy!" A voice called me from behind. I whirled around. Shadow grinned back at me. "Movie tonight? My house. We'll call Rouge too." I couldn't help smiling.

"Yeah… I'd like that…" I knew Rouge was going to yell at me for some time, but I really didn't care. Everything was fine now. All I had to do was tie up some loose ends, and that started with Elise.

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**Basically, this chapter is a recap of all the previous chapters from chapter 2. The fic isn't over yet! PLEASE REVIEW!!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Last chappie! Enjoy it while it lasts!**

XX

I stood on my toes on a random bench in Soleanna's castle town. It was the middle of the afternoon, a few hours after Shadow and I made up. It was just enough time to make it less obvious that I escaped yet another near-death experience. _Ugh, where could she be?_ Within a few minutes, I finally located her. Elise was walking next to a group of girls. I honestly couldn't even tell it was her. She wore a white t-shirt, jeans, and black converse. Her short red hair was in a high ponytail, but her bangs fell over her face. Not just I, but no one could tell she was the princess of Soleanna. She looked… well… _normal_… It was amazing how well she blended in with everyone else. It was even more amazing how well Sonic completed her… how well _she _completed _Sonic_. Sonic had brought her out of the shadow that was her royal heritage and let her see the world as a normal girl, not as a princess. Sonic deserved her and she deserved Sonic. I misinterpreted their happiness as Elise's scorn for me and selfishly complained about it to others. Rouge was the only one who stuck with me until the end. This is what I thought friendship was: sticking by your friends no matter what; no matter how evil or how selfish their intentions are. But I was wrong. True friends would not only stick by you, but help you overcome your weaknesses, even if it meant hurting your feelings. And this was where Elise came in. She indirectly pointed out my selfishness, but I didn't catch it until it was too late… until after I betrayed Shadow. I really had good friends: Elise, because she saw through me and noticed that I was hurting other's feelings for my own selfish needs, Shadow, because he saw past my selfishness and clinginess to Sonic and accepted me for who I was, and Rouge, for graciously allowing me to use her as a crutch. But I wasn't going to any more. I could now stand on my own two feet. I didn't need to cling to Shadow, Rouge, or Sonic anymore. I ran up to Elise. "Elise! Elise!" She turned in my direction and smiled faintly.

"Hi Amy."

"Wow, you look good. Much better than you do in your princess clothes, I might add." She giggled.

"Thanks!" I laughed along with her.

"Elise? I'm sorry… I misinterpreted what you said… I just thought you were trying to make my life miserable." It all sounded stupid, even in my own ears. I tried rephrasing what I just said. "You were right… I _was_ lying to Shadow and myself about my feelings…"

"So everything's cleared up now?"

"Yes! With you _and_ Shadow!" She smiled.

"Great! Hey Amy… Sonic's taking me out to dinner tonight…" She paused to see my reaction. Maybe she expected me to stare at the floor sadly or walk away crying, but I didn't do either. Her eyebrows furrowed as she saw my bland response.

"Where's he taking you?" I asked finally, breaking up the silence.

"You aren't mad or depressed?"

"No! Of course not! You can _have_ Sonic!" Elise raised her eyebrows.

"Really?"

"Yeah! Of course! I can see that you're happy with him, and it's pretty obvious that he's happy with you." She quirked one eyebrow.

"Well Amy, this is one side of you I've never seen before." I laughed.

"I know. Besides, I'm over Sonic!" Her eyes widened at my casual remark.

"Are you sure?!"

"Yeah! After we got back from Eggman's—"

"What were you doing in Eggman's base?" I sighed as I spilled out the whole story. She nodded slowly. "Ohhh… I see… good thing you're all right."

"Yeah… Sonic came up to us right after we got out and he asked me whether I picked him or Shadow." Her gaze dropped the floor. "I don't think he would have left you, even if I picked him over Shadow." She sighed and smiled in relief. "Anyway, I picked Shadow, and it's not because I feel sorry or guilty for him." For the first time in a long time, the words sounded firm and adamant. I knew I was never going back to Sonic after making this major decision. Elise's smile widened.

"That's good then! Anyway, Sonic's taking me out for dinner, but I don't have anything to wear!" I sighed and tapped my foot.

"You're a _princess_. You must have _something_."

"I don't want to wear any of my dresses though! Besides, they're all itchy. The itchiest one is the one I wore during the Festival of the Sun." I laughed.

"Oh that _sucks_! You went to Eggman's base and had to run with Sonic in _that_?" She sighed and nodded.

"You have no idea… anyway, can you come shopping with me?" I smiled. We were friends again.

"Sure!" Elise and I linked arms and walked toward Soleanna's mall.

_Later…_

I snuggled next to Shadow. I was so tired, but I wasn't going to let myself fall asleep during the movie. "Are you sure you want to watch the movie Amy?" Shadow asked me, concerned.

"Yeah…" I replied, yawning. Shadow didn't seem convinced. "Come on! We already called Rouge! How do you think it'll look if you tell her that we're not watching the movie because I fell asleep?!" Shadow sighed. There was a knock at the door.

"That would be her." Shadow stood up and opened the door. Rouge shoved him into the wall and ran in front of me.

"AMY!" she yelled. "YOU IDIOT! I TOLD YOU NOT TO GO TO THE ARK!"

"I know, but—"

"AND WHAT DID YOU DO? YOU WENT TO THE ARK! YOU PROMISED YOU WOULDN'T GET CAUGHT, BUT YOU DID! NOW SEE WHAT YOU DID!"

"Rouge—"

"YOU'RE LUCKY YOU'RE STILL _ALIVE_, AMY ROSE! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW—"

"Rouge." Shadow said her name once, and she stopped to turn back to him.

"What?!" she asked exasperatedly. His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Let it go." Rouge grit her teeth together.

"Fine." She turned back to me. "Don't think you're off the hook yet, Amy." Shadow had nothing to say to this, so he reclaimed his seat next to me. I rested my head on his shoulder and shut my eyes. Everything was fine now. All my confessions and apologies were over.

"So Amy… did you clear everything up with Elise?"

"Yeah…" He smiled.

"Good. Rouge can you start the movie?"

"It's _your_ house, Shadow," she replied coolly. There was silence before she shifted again. I reopened my eyes to see her bent over Shadow's DVD player. "Get Smart? This is what we're watching?" Shadow shrugged.

"It's a comedy. Besides, I doubt Amy would want any more drama today." I laughed faintly and silently agreed. Rouge sat back down after pressing play and grabbed the popcorn bowl. Several minutes passed and my exhaustion caught up with me. My eyes slowly started to droop shut. The dialogue sounded like incoherent mumbling to me. I forced my eyes open and paid especially close attention to the dialogue. "You can sleep, you know." I looked up at Shadow who looked back at me sympathetically. "You've had a long day… you really must be tired." I smiled as my vision blurred. I shut my eyes and snuggled closer to him.

"I love you Shadow," I whispered sleepily. My consciousness slipped away from me, but I could swear I heard Shadow reply.

"I love you too."

XX

**It's OVER!! Now you all can review about how sappy the ending was! lol. THANKS FOR READING! HOPE YOU LIKED IT!**


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